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July 3, 2009

Should you keep your old car or buy a new one.

Filed under: Car Care — Blogman @ 4:00 pm

Are you sure you need a new car? I’m sure you want the newest safety features and modern styling that a new car offers. Perhaps you need a larger vehicle to fit your growing family. You probably feel that your old car no longer fits your life. But how about cost?

From an economic perspective, you’re better off keeping your old car. It could save you thousands of dollars. Taking better care of your current car may make much more sense in the long run.

You’re probably thinking - those repair bills are really adding up. But the cost of repairs will never exceed the cost of a new car. Changing your oil, replacing brakes, belts, and hoses are nothing compared to monthly payments on a new car. Even costly repairs like rebuilding an engine makes good financial sense.

If you’ve paid off your car, it is still in great shape and needs only a few modest repairs, there’s no need to throw it away. Enjoy your freedom from car payments. Enjoy lower annual taxes, insurance rates and license fees on your old car. Buying a new vehicle would mean several years more of monthly principle and interest payments on a loan.

You can feel secure knowing that modern vehicles last longer. Not too many years ago, a vehicle’s useful life did not exceed 100,000 miles. Today, many vehicles can breeze right past that 100,000 mile mark with no more than a tune-up, or maybe a new timing chain or fuel pump.

Older cars generally cost more to maintain and are more likely to break down. Repairs can be frustrating and expensive. But on the other hand they’re cheaper to own and operate. They lose most of its value in the first five years of their life. Your used vehicle won’t depreciate as much, saving you thousands.

Unless you’re rolling in cash, I’d say keep your old clunker. Comfort yourself knowing that one day you’ll be able to easily afford that costly new ride.

About the Author

Roger Charles is a successful author and publisher of Toyota-Parts-Guide.com. A resource for information and tips on buying auto parts and accessories online.

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June 30, 2009

Online Automobile Loan Tips

Filed under: Car Care — Blogman @ 10:00 am

The internet is a booming marketplace. Online automotive lending is an industry that has begun to boom. There are several benefits of getting an automobile loan online, but there are some tips you should follow to fully utilize those benefits.

Online Credit Score The internet is a quick and hassle free place where you can purchase goods/services and acquire useful information. Your credit score is one piece of information that is extremely easy to get online. Before searching for auto loan quotes online, be sure to acquire your credit report and credit score. If online lenders constantly request credit reports, it could lower your credit score slightly. One click of your mouse can save you headache in the future.

Loan Payment Calculator Many online automobile lenders offer car loan payment calculators. These are simple tools that allow you to plug in values such as desired loan term, payment amount, or interest rate. Then the tool tells you how much you will pay, how long you will pay, or at what interest rate you will pay your auto loan. It is in your best interest to use this car loan payment calculator when you are quoted a loan. There are dishonest lenders that will quote you one interest rate, but your payment reflects another. This calculator can prevent you from falling victim to this type of scam.

Compare quotes The internet provides a perfect venue for you to quickly and efficiently compare auto lender quotes. A useful tip for comparing is to use online sites that encourage lenders to compete for your business. This competition leads to lower interest rates and possibly shorter auto loan terms.

The internet is a great resource for individuals looking for an auto loan. If online features, such as credit scores, payment calculators, and competition sites, are used to their fullest, the borrower will always win.

About The Author

Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.abcloanguide.com, an informational website about various types of loans.

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June 27, 2009

Pssst: Wanna (not) Buy a Stolen Car?

Filed under: Car Care — Blogman @ 4:00 am

Would you buy a used car–with cash–from someone you just met in the bar, and who walked you down a dark alley to show you the car? Not likely. How about from a well-dressed, friendly, middle-aged man or woman, who placed a classified ad in your local newspaper, and who meets you midday at a restaurant of your choice?

Oops! You may be more likely to be cheated by seller number two. That’s the story of Jennifer Warwa, who bought a minivan and had her mechanic examine it. The mechanic later said how shocked he was that Jennifer had been scammed:

“Because I met the gentleman who was selling the vehicle. Very clean cut. In his fifties. Very soft spoken…. And he went with her to get it inspected. There was just no sign that was the kind of person he was” the mechanic told CBC’s Marketplace.

A few months later, Jennifer got a phone call from the police. They said she had purchased a stolen minivan, and they were coming to seize it. She was so upset, she tried to hide the van from the police. Eventually they caught up with her and she ended up paying for a year and a half for a $5,000 bank loan on a van she could not drive. Ouch!

Jennifer was just one victim in the chain that included the original owner, the insurance company, other consumers whose insurance rates keep rising, and the police, who spend thousands of hours tracking thefts. According to the FBI, a vehicle is stolen about every 25 seconds in the USA, amounting to an $8 billion yearly problem.

Here’s how these scams often work. Thieves target particular cars: for their value, their ease of resale as a whole or in parts, or because they are easier to steal. Years ago, most cars were stripped for parts, including unusual parts such as airbags. But today some thieves are so brash they sell cars through newspapers.

This newer scam is called “VIN cloning”, because the Vehicle Identification Number is stolen from another car. Criminals obtain VINs by copying them from the dash of cars in parking lots–even at dealerships. Some even physically remove the VIN plate from vehicles in auto salvage yards that allow customers to “pick your own parts.” (They do not mean that literally!) The number is used to falsely obtain new ownership documents, or documents are forged. Either way, a cloned VIN allows them to transform stolen cars into pseudo- legal vehicles that can be officially titled and sold. Many thieves work across state lines: cars may be stolen in the East, registered in the Mid-West, then sold in California. Scary!

Here’s what you can do to avoid buying a stolen car:
** Check the VIN on the dash against the VIN in the driver’s door jamb, under the hood, and on the paperwork
** Use the VIN to get the car’s history at carfax.com for about $20
** Ensure title and registration documents match the name and address of the seller
** Is the car from out of state?
** Be suspicious if you must meet a private seller in a parking lot. Better to see that they live at the address where the car is registered
** Has the vehicle recently been transferred?
** Does the seller use a home or work phone number, or just a cell?
** Is the selling price oddly low?
** Be warned that some used car dealers are getting scammed, too
** Pay by certified cheque or money order, not cash.

Keep in mind that most private sellers are not thieves, but rather honest, regular folks like you. And prices do tend to be lower with private sales. So if you follow my advice, you can greatly improve your chances of driving away with a “genuine” used car.

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June 23, 2009

Best Negotiating Tips When Buying An Used Car

Filed under: Car Care — Blogman @ 4:00 am

Being a good negotiator doesn’t have to be difficult. Sooner or later everyone has to negotiate with someone if they want to get a good deal on a purchase.

When you are trying to negotiate with a car dealer, you should know that they are very practiced in the art already. You will need to know how to get through their car speak in order to be successful.

Since you now know how to calculate your offer and already know what the dealer paid for it, you should get a copy of the paperwork from a friend that recently bought a car, so that you can become familiar with what you will see on your paperwork. They are all generally the same.

If you’ve followed the above mentioned tips, you will also be pre-approved for a loan. The key is for you to get in and out of the dealership as quickly as possible because the salesman will definitely find more loopholes to up your charges if you stay.

Here are a few tips to successful negotiating.

Remain positive and confident

Don’t talk down to your opponent

Show up prepared and ready to counter anything that may come up

Bring ads from other dealerships with you as an extra weapon

Finance your loan before you arrive at the dealership so as to avoid paying unnecessary extra fees

Bring a friend with you for extra support

Something that you should look out for from salesmen is the extra little tricks that you will likely encounter that will try to force or rush into a buying decision.

You have to remember that they are trying to negotiate you into paying more money just as you are trying to negotiate paying less. Here are some of the things that you can expect to hear from them.

1. These cars are flying off of the lot. It may not be available for the same deal tomorrow. (Threaten to leave and they will ease up and try to change their strategy)

2. This deal is only good for today. If you come back tomorrow I can’t guarantee that the deal will be the same.

3. I’m an honest man. Look at how many cars I’ve sold this weekend (This is where he will show you his list of sold cars. If he does this, then tell him that he doesn’t need your money).

4. I hate to tell you this but I have another offer on the table from a man that is willing to pay more money than this. I am just waiting for his paperwork to be returned. (Tell him that if he promised the car to someone else, you don’t want to step on someone else’s toes and that you should leave then).

5. To cover the overhead costs, we have paid $13,000 for this car (Just check your paperwork in your folder and prove them wrong).

About the Author

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June 19, 2009

Here is the most up-to-date opinion with reference to cars for sale .

Filed under: Car Care — Blogman @ 4:00 am

Here is the most up-to-date opinion with reference to cars for sale .
When you’re trying to find excellent advice concerning cars for sale , you will find it hard unscrambling quality advice from foolish cars for sale suggestions and advice so it’s prudent to know how to qualify the information you are often given.

Now we’d like to give you some tips that we believe you should use when you’re searching for information about cars for sale . It is important to remember that the guidance we give is only appropriate to internet info about cars for sale . We don’t really offer any direction or assistance when you are also conducting research offline.

An excellent piece of advice to follow when offered information and suggestions on a cars for sale site would be to confirm the sites ownership. Doing this could reveal the owners cars for sale credibility The quickest way to work out who owns the cars for sale website is to look on the ‘about’ page or ‘contact’ page.

Any reputable site providing information about cars for sale , will almost certainly provide an ‘about’ or ‘contact’ page which will record the site owner’s contact details. The fine points should tell some indication about the website owner’s expertise. You can then decide for yourself about the webmaster’s depth of experience, to offer advice about cars for sale
About the author:

Barry Wise is the webmaster for



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